Healthier “treats” for the win! I am going to show you how easy it it to make Vegan Chocolate Turtles in two ways.

Start by mixing dates and almond meal or organic all purpose flour to form a moldable dough that acts as the turtle base.

At this point I wish I photograph this part, but I did make a video that will be on my Instagram in the near future. Note: I will be doing a non vegan version of this recipe and I will be sure to highlight every step!

Anyways….next, toast pecans and add five to each turtle to make the legs and head. Some people only add four, but doesn’t make a turtle shape.

For the pretzels, add three or four in a circle pattern.

Last, melt chocolate and coconut oil and top the turtles to make the “turtle shells”!

I know. Cuteness overload for sure!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Makes 16

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw pecan halves
• 1 cup of pretzels
• 3 cups packed large pitted dates (if dry, soak in hot water 10 minutes, then drain // 16 dates yield ~1 ½ cups)
• 6 Tbsp Almond Meal (ground from raw almonds) or organic all purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cup Vegan Dark Chocolate Chips
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• Optional Garnish: Sea Salt and or chocolate drizzle

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and roast pecans on a bare baking sheet for 10-12 minutes. Set aside.
• Then add pitted dates to a blender or food processor  and pulse/mix until small bits remain or a ball forms. Then add almond meal or all purpose and pulse again. If dough appears too sticky to handle, add more almond meal or all purpose and pulse to combine.
• Using your hands, form the date mixture into 16 small, round discs and place on a parchment-lined pan. Add five toasted pecan halves to make the turtle legs and head. Add three or four pretzels to the remainder of the 8. Then freeze 10 minutes to harden.
• In the meantime, melt chocolate and coconut oil over a double boiler on the stovetop or in the microwave in 30-second increments and set aside.
• Remove turtles from freezer and top each with a generous spoonful of melted chocolate. Use the spoon to evenly coat the tops of the candies. If you have leftover chocolate, you can drizzle it over the pecans for extra goodness. Garnish with sea salt, optional.
• Pop turtles back in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days, or the freezer up to 1 month. If frozen, set out for 10 minutes before eating. Enjoy.

Enjoy! If you make it, tag me on Instagram @eatwhateveryouwant

Nutrition

Serving: 1 turtles

Calories: 300

Carbohydrates: 43.3 g

Protein: 3.6 g

Fat: 16.1 g

Fiber: 5.7 g

Sugar: 36.5 g